Prosecutors demand 30 years for Park

Park, 66, did not attend the court hearing where prosecutors also demanded a fine of 118.5 billion won ($110 million) and said she has shown no remorse for “disrupting constitutional order and damaging the public’s trust in state power”. The court was expected to set the date when it will announce the verdict and sentence if it finds her guilty.

“The defendant thoroughly destroyed the dreams and hope of people this incident left a permanent scar in South Korean history and yet it also provided the opportunity for people to restore democracy and rule of law with their own hands,” prosecutor Han Dong-hoon told the court, according to a pool report. “A stern punishment by the court is needed to send a message to the public and politicians that the tragic history should not be repeated.”

If the court finds her guilty, Park would be the third South Korean president convicted of crimes.

Boycotting hearings

Park has been boycotting the hearings in Seoul Central District Court since October in protest of its decision to extend her detention by another six months. Park’s lawyers then resigned en masse and she has reportedly been refusing to meet with state-appointed lawyers who have since been defending her in court.

On Tuesday, Park’s lawyers argued that the prosecutors have been unable to fully prove their charges against Park. They said it’s unclear whether the companies were pressured into providing money to foundations controlled by Park’s close confidante Choi Soon-sil, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this month.

“The president did not threaten the companies and the companies weren’t victims who paid money because they were scared,” said lawyer Park Seung-gil, saying businesses will always try to maintain a friendly relationship with the government even when they aren’t chasing specific business favors.

“To put it in a bad way, it could be described as a close relationship between government and business. But while it would be simple for everyone if we could define what happened as bribery or extortion or both, the whole body of truth isn’t clear-cut.”

A severe punishment is expected for Park, but if she is convicted, an appeal from her defense team is highly likely as Park has continuously denied wrongdoing.

Following massive protests by millions and impeachment by lawmakers in December 2016, Park was formally removed from office and arrested in March last year amid allegations that she colluded with Choi to take tens of millions of dollars from companies in bribes and through extortion.

Current South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who took office in May, has said he won’t use his powers to pardon Park.